Home appliance having a housing with a sealing member and refrigerator having the sealing member

ABSTRACT

A home appliance contains a housing which surrounds an internal space. The housing has an outer side wall facing outside, an inner side wall spaced apart from the outer side wall, a thermal insulation material which fills a spacing between the side walls, and a front flange connected to the inner side wall from one side and to the outer side wall from the other side. An external sealing member is provided on a connection region of the housing where the front flange connects to the inner side wall, so as to provide a barrier to the thermal insulation material.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of Turkish Patent Application TR 2020/10143, filed Jun. 29, 2020; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a home appliance having a housing which surrounds an internal space and contains an outer side wall facing outside, an inner side wall spaced apart from the outer side wall, a thermal insulation material which fills a spacing between the side walls, and a front flange connected to the inner side wall from one side and to the outer side wall from the other side.

In general, a thermal insulation material such as a foamed polyurethane resin is used in a housing of a home appliance, particularly in a cooling device such as a refrigerator, for thermal insulation of the home appliance. In refrigerators, the housing is formed such that a closed space provided between the outer side wall and the inner side wall, is filled with a polyurethane resin. Polyurethane resin is being in a liquid state, when it is filled. But it reaches to a foamed state in a defined process time. When the polyurethane resin is in a liquid state, it tries to penetrate every gap. When polyurethane resin penetrates to the inner side of the storage chamber undesirably, it causes a cosmetic problem. If this failure occurs, rework operations take lots of time. Furthermore, during these rework operations, inner side walls of the storage compartment can be scratched undesirably.

Japanese patent application JP2014081176 discloses that a corner of a heat insulating box cannot form a fitting portion, and a gap may be slightly opened. Thus, there is a problem that the foamed heat insulating material leaks. A heat insulation box is formed such that a closed space formed by an inner box and an outer box is filled with a polyurethane resin in a closed space formed by the outer box and the inner box. In the space between the inner box and the outer box, a raw material of the polyurethane resin, a main blowing agent (cyclopentane) having a boiling point of at least approximately zero at atmospheric pressure, and a boiling point of approximately zero or less at approximately atmospheric pressure and a mixture with the liquid auxiliary blowing agent (carbon dioxide). As a result, the carbon dioxide evaporates and foaming starts immediately after the raw material of the foamed polyurethane resin is injected, so that the raw material is in a liquid state and does not reach the portion where the outer box and the inner box are combined but reaches in a foamed state. As a result, the viscosity is high, and leakage from the gap can be made difficult.

There is a need for an improved housing structure to eliminate leakage of the thermal insulation material outside the housing.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide a home appliance with a housing structure suppressing leakage of the thermal insulation material outside the housing.

In order to achieve the objects, the invention is a home appliance with a housing which surrounds an internal space and contains an outer side wall facing outside, an inner side wall spaced apart from the outer side wall, a thermal insulation material which fills a spacing between the side walls, and a front flange connected to the inner side wall from one side and to the outer side wall from the other side. In the invention, an external sealing member is provided on a connection region of the housing where the front flange connects to the inner side wall, so as to provide a barrier to the thermal insulation material. This arrangement prevents leakage of the thermal insulation material from any gap of the connection region to the outside of the spacing of the housing.

Here, the home appliance can be any kind of domestic appliance such as a refrigerator, an oven, a washing machine.

Here, the inner side wall can be a side wall of the home appliance facing inside of the appliance. For example, the inner side wall can be an inner liner of the storage compartment of the refrigerator.

Here, the thermal insulation material can be any kind of insulation material such as a polyurethane resin, which reduces the heat losses between the inner side of the home appliance and outside.

Here, the sealing member can be made of any kind of plastic materials, synthetic resin or rubber is preferred.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the connection region is provided on an inner side of the housing where the thermal insulation material fills the spacing between the side walls. Thus, for the aesthetic appearance of the home appliance, the connection region is not visible from outside.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the sealing member is configured to connect to the front flange from one side and to the inner side wall from the other side. Thus, the sealing member connects to the front flange and to the inner side wall in an easily manner.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the sealing member has an inner connection channel which receives a first connection end of the front flange extending towards the connection region. Thus, the sealing member connects to the front flange in a tightened manner.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the first connection end has an essentially L-shaped cross-section and the sealing member is configured to surround at least a part of the first connection end. Thus, the sealing member connects to the front flange in a tightened manner.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the inner side wall has a receiving section which faces the first connection end and receives at least a part of the sealing member. Thus, the sealing member connects to the inner side wall in a tightened manner.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the receiving section has an essentially U-shaped cross-section which tightens the sealing member. Thus, the sealing member connects to the inner side wall in a tightened manner.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the inner side wall has an abutting wall which abuts to a part of the first connection end, when the first connection end connected to the receiving section by means of the sealing member. Thus, during the mounting process, the front flange aligns to the inner side wall.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the sealing member has one or more flexible sealing flaps provided on a side of the sealing member facing a flat side wall of the receiving section. Thus, in order to prevent leakage of the thermal insulation material, the sealing flaps behaves as a barrier to block the thermal insulation material at the connection region.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the sealing flaps are configured on the sealing member so as to extend longitudinally. Thus, leakage of the thermal insulation material is prevented on the housing longitudinally.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, an angle provided between the respective sealing flaps and a side of the sealing member where the sealing flaps are configured, is being 70° in maximum. Thus, in order to prevent leakage of the thermal insulation material, the angle of the sealing flaps is at a value according to the size of the gap. For example, the angle can be at a value of 0°, when the front flange connected to the inner side wall or for example, the angle can be at a value of 65° in order to fill the gap and block the thermal insulation material.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the sealing member has two flexible sealing flaps spaced apart each other in such a way that one of them is not overlapping with the other one, when the angle is 0°. Thus, an improved sealing performance is obtained.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, each of the sealing flaps have a cross-section tapering towards a free end of said sealing flaps. Thus, the flexibility of the sealing flaps is improved.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the sealing member has a longitudinal groove formed on an opposite side to the inner connection channel. Thus, the flexibility of the sealing member is improved. When the walls of the receiving section applies a pressure to the sealing member, the sealing member flexes in an easily manner.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the home appliance is being a cooling device, in particular a refrigerator comprising a housing with a sealing member.

In this context, with the indications “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “rear”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “upward”, “downward”, “inner”, “outer”, “inward”, “outward” etc. the positions and orientations given for intended use and intended arrangement of the cooling device and for a user then standing in front of the home appliance, in particular cooling device in a closed position and viewing in the direction of the device are indicated.

Each possible embodiment disclosed in this text can be combined with the other possible embodiments disclosed in this text if there is no any technical constraint.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a home appliance having a housing with a sealing member, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of an exemplary cooling device having a housing;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a housing of the exemplary cooling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is another cross-sectional view of the housing of the exemplary cooling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sealing member according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, perspective view of the sealing member according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing member according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the housing of the exemplary cooling device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is another cross-sectional view of the housing of the exemplary cooling device according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing member according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this detailed explanation, the invented subject matter is explained with examples in order to make the subject more understandable without forming any restrictive effect. According to this, in the detailed explanation below, a sealing member 15 is explained to be applied to a housing 11 of a cooling device 1 such as a refrigerator. However, the same embodiment can be applied to any kind of home appliances, such as ovens, washing machines.

The present invention proposes an external sealing member 15 for sealing a connection region 110 of a housing 11 of the home appliance. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the exemplary cooling device 1 contains a storage chamber 10 having an internal space and the housing 11 surrounding the internal space. The housing 11 contains an outer side wall 13 facing outside and an inner side wall 12 spaced apart from the outer side wall 13. The housing 11 further contains a front flange 14 connected to the inner side wall 12 from one side and to the outer side wall 13 from the other side. When the inner side wall 12, the outer side wall 13 and the front flange 14 are connected to each other, a spacing occurs there between. A thermal insulation material 16, such as polyurethane resin, fills the spacing. In a possible embodiment of the invention, there is an external sealing member 15 provided on the connection region 110 so as to provide a barrier to the thermal insulation material 16. According to the present invention, two different embodiments of the sealing member 15 are shown in the figures. In FIGS. 2 to 6, a first embodiment of the sealing member 15 is shown. In FIGS. 7 to 9, a second embodiment of the sealing member 15 is shown.

According to the first embodiment of the sealing member 15 shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the front flange 14 connects to the inner side wall 12 via a connection region 110 of the housing 11. On an opposite side of the connection region 110, the front flange 14 connects to the outer side wall 13 with the aid of an outer isolation part 18. The outer side wall 13 directly connects to the outer isolation part 18. There is an essentially C-shaped support part 17 connected to the outer isolation part 18 in the spacing for improving the reinforcement of the housing 11. The front flange 14 has a first connection end 141 connected to the sealing member 15 from one side and a second connection end 142 connected to a section provided between the outer isolation part 18 and the support part 17 from the other side. The front flange 14 is being at a front side of the cooling device 1. When the front flange 14 is connected to the outer side wall 13 and the inner side wall 12, it can be visible from front side of the cooling device 1. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the connection region 110 is provided on an inner side of the housing 11 where the thermal insulation material 16 fills the spacing between the side walls 12, 13. At the connection region 110, the sealing member 15 connects a first connection end 141 in a tightened manner. The first connection end 141 of the front flange 14 is formed so as to extend towards the connection region 110. In a possible embodiment, the first connection end 141 has an essentially L-shaped cross-section. The sealing member 15 is configured to surround at least a part of the first connection end 141. In more details, the sealing member 15 has a periphery wall 151 which at least partially surrounds the first connection end 141. The sealing member 15 also has an inner connection channel 154 in order to receive the first connection end 141 in a tightened manner. The inner connection channel 154 has an inlet opening 158 for receiving the first connection end 141. In the first embodiment of the invention, the sealing member 15 receives a part of the free connection end 141 extending towards the sealing member 15 and a part of the free connection end 141 extending towards inside the housing 11. On the other hand, the inner side wall 12 has an abutting wall 121 which abuts to a part of the first connection end 141. The abutting wall 121 abuts to a part of the first connection end 141 extending towards inside the housing 11. In a possible embodiment, the abutting wall 121 has an essentially U-shaped cross-section. During the mounting process of the front flange 14, the abutting wall 121 abuts to a part of the first connection end 141 in order to align the front flange 14 and the inner side wall 12. At the continuation of the abutting wall 121, the inner side wall 12 is formed as a receiving section 122 for receiving at least a part of the sealing member 15. In a possible embodiment, the receiving section 122 has an essentially U-shaped cross-section facing the first connection end 141. The sealing member 15 connects to the receiving section 122 in a tightened manner. In other words, the receiving section 122 at least partially surrounds the sealing member 15. In a possible embodiment of the invention, the sealing member 15 has one or more flexible sealing flaps 152, 153 provided on a side of the sealing member 15 facing a flat side wall 123 of the receiving section 122, so as to provide a barrier to the thermal insulation material 16 at the connection region 110. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, when the sealing member 15 is produced, it extends in a straight line. During the mounting process, it is attached to the receiving section 122 and the first connection end 141 in a tightened manner by starting from one point of the housing 11 and finishing the process at the same point. Thus, both sides of the housing 11, such as left side, right side, bottom side and upper side of the housing 11, are provided to have sealing member 15. In a possible embodiment of the invention, the sealing member 15 has two flexible sealing flaps 152, 153. The sealing member 15 can be made of any kind of plastic materials, synthetic resin or rubber is preferred. The first sealing flap 152 and the second sealing flap 153 are spaced apart each other in such a way that one of them is not overlapping with the other one. The sealing flaps 152, 153 are configured on the sealing member 15 so as to extend longitudinally. As can be seen in FIG. 6, there is an angle A provided between the respective sealing flaps 152, 153 and a side of the sealing member 15 where the sealing flaps 152, 153 are configured. Preferably, the angle A is being 70° in maximum. This means, the angle A is in a range of 0°-70° in order to fill the gap and block the thermal insulation material 16. The value of the angle A can change during the penetration of the thermal insulation material 16. In a possible embodiment of the invention, each of the sealing flaps 152, 153 have a cross-section tapering towards a free end 155, 156 of the sealing flaps 152, 153. In more details, the first sealing flap 152 has a cross-section tapering towards a free end 155 of the first sealing flap 152. Also, the second sealing flap 153 has a cross-section tapering towards a free end 156 of the second sealing flap 153.

According to the second embodiment of the sealing member 15 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the front flange 14 connects to the inner side wall 12 via a connection region 110 of the housing 11. On an opposite side of the connection region 110, the front flange 14 connects to the outer side wall 13 with the aid of an outer isolation part 18. The outer side wall 13 directly connects to the outer isolation part 18. There is an essentially C-shaped support part 17 connected to the outer isolation part 18 in the spacing for improving the reinforcement of the housing 11. The front flange 14 has a first connection end 141 connected to the sealing member 15 from one side and a second connection end 142 connected to a section provided between the outer isolation part 18 and the support part 17 from the other side. The front flange 14 is being at a front side of the cooling device 1. When the front flange 14 connected to the outer side wall 13 and the inner side wall 12, it can be visible from front side of the cooling device 1. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the connection region 110 is provided on an inner side of the housing 11 where the thermal insulation material 16 fills the spacing between the side walls 12, 13. At the connection region 110, the sealing member 15 connects the first connection end 141 in a tightened manner. The first connection end 141 of the front flange 14 is formed so as to extend towards the connection region 110. In a possible embodiment, the first connection end 141 has an essentially L-shaped cross-section. The sealing member 15 is configured to surround at least a part of the first connection end 141. In more details, the sealing member 15 has a periphery wall 151 which at least partially surrounds the first connection end 141. The sealing member 15 also has an inner connection channel 154 in order to receive the first connection end 141 in a tightened manner. The inner connection channel 154 has an inlet opening 158 for receiving the first connection end 141. In the second embodiment, the inner connection channel 154 receives a part of the free connection end 141 extending towards the sealing member 15. On the other hand, the inner side wall 12 has an abutting wall 121 which abuts to a part of the first connection end 141. In more details, the abutting wall 121 abuts to a part of the first connection end 141 extending towards inside the housing 11. In a possible embodiment, the abutting wall 121 has an essentially U-shaped cross-section. During the mounting process of the front flange 14, the abutting wall 121 abuts to a part of the first connection end 141 in order to align the front flange 14 and the inner side wall 12. At the continuation of the abutting wall 121, the inner side wall 12 is formed as a receiving section 122 for receiving at least a part of the sealing member 15. In a possible embodiment, the receiving section 122 has an essentially U-shaped cross-section facing the first connection end 141. The sealing member 15 connects to the receiving section 122 in a tightened manner. In other words, the receiving section 122 at least partially surrounds the sealing member 15. In a possible embodiment of the invention, the sealing member 15 has one or more flexible sealing flaps 152, 153 provided on a side of the sealing member 15 facing a flat side wall 123 of the receiving section 122, so as to provide a barrier to the thermal insulation material 16 at the connection region 110. When the sealing member 15 is produced, it extends in a straight line. During the mounting process, it is attached to the receiving section 122 and the first connection end 141 by starting from one point of the housing 11 and finishing the process at the same point. Thus, both sides of the housing 11, such as left side, right side, bottom side and upper side of the housing 11, are provided to have sealing member 15. In a possible embodiment of the invention, the sealing member 15 has two flexible sealing flaps 152, 153. The sealing member 15 can be made of any kind of plastic materials, synthetic resin or rubber is preferred. The first sealing flap 152 and the second sealing flap 153 are spaced apart each other in such a way that one of them is not overlapping with the other one. The sealing flaps 152, 153 are configured on the sealing member 15 so as to extend longitudinally. As can be seen in FIG. 9, in the second embodiment of the invention, unlike the first embodiment, the sealing member 15 has a longitudinal groove 157 formed on an opposite side to the inner connection channel 154. Thus, when the walls of the receiving section 122 applies a pressure to the sealing member 15, it flexes easily from the side where the longitudinal groove 157 is formed. Furthermore, the inner connection channel 154 is configured in such a way that it is receiving only a part of the first connection end 141 extending towards the inner connection channel 154. In the second embodiment, the inner connection channel 154 is configured in such a way that it is narrowing towards the inlet opening 158. Thus, the connection between the sealing member 15 and the first connection end 141 which is provided in a tightened manner, is improved. There is an angle A provided between the respective sealing flaps 152, 153 and a side of the sealing member 15 where the sealing flaps 152, 153 are configured. Preferably, the angle A is being 70° in maximum. This means, the angle A is in a range of 0°-70° in order to fill the gap and block the thermal insulation material 16. The value of the angle A can change during the penetration of the thermal insulation material 16. In a possible embodiment of the invention, each of the sealing flaps 152, 153 have a cross-section tapering towards a free end of said sealing flaps 155, 156. In more details, the first sealing flap 152 has a cross-section tapering towards a free end of the first sealing flap 155. Also the second sealing flap 153 has a cross-section tapering towards a free end of the second sealing flap 156.

During the mounting process of both first and second embodiments, after the inner side wall 12, outer side wall 13 and the front flange 14 connected to each other as explained above in detail, the thermal insulation material 16, such as polyurethane resin, injected to the internal space of the housing 11. When the polyurethane resin injected to the housing 11, it is in a liquid state and tries to penetrate every gap. During the penetration of the polyurethane resin, it also reaches to the sealing flaps 152, 153 of the sealing member 15. While polyurethane resin tries to escape outside of the housing 11 by pushing the sealing flaps 152, 153, the sealing flaps 152, 153 functions as a barrier and do not allow the polyurethane resin to escape outside of the housing 11. With this arrangement, leakage of the thermal insulation material 16 from the gap of the connection region 110 to the outside of the housing 11, is prevented.

The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention:

-   1 Cooling device -   10 Storage chamber -   11 Housing -   110 Connection region -   12 Inner side wall -   121 Abutting wall -   122 Receiving section -   123 Flat side wall -   13 Outer side wall -   14 Front flange -   141 First connection end -   142 Second connection end -   15 Sealing member -   151 Periphery wall -   152 First sealing flap -   153 Second sealing flap -   154 Inner connection channel -   155 Free end of the first sealing flap -   156 Free end of the second sealing flap -   157 Longitudinal groove -   158 Inlet opening -   16 Thermal insulation material -   17 Support part -   18 Outer isolation part -   A Angle 

1. A home appliance, comprising: a housing surrounding an internal space and having an outer side wall facing outside, an inner side wall spaced apart from said outer side wall, a thermal insulation material filling a spacing between said inner side wall and said outer side wall, a front flange connected to said inner side wall from a first side and to said outer side wall from a second side, and a connection region; and an external sealing member disposed on said connection region of said housing where said front flange connects to said inner side wall, so as to provide a barrier to said thermal insulation material.
 2. The home appliance according to claim 1, wherein said connection region is disposed on an inner side of the housing where said thermal insulation material fills said spacing between said inner side wall and said outer side wall.
 3. The home appliance according to claim 1, wherein said external sealing member is configured to connect to said front flange from one side and to said inner side wall from an other side.
 4. The home appliance according to claim 3, wherein said external sealing member has an inner connection channel which receives a first connection end of said front flange extending towards said connection region.
 5. The home appliance according to claim 4, wherein said first connection end has an L-shaped cross-section and wherein said external sealing member is configured to surround at least a part of said first connection end.
 6. The home appliance according to claim 4, wherein said inner side wall has a receiving section which faces said first connection end and receives at least a part of said external sealing member.
 7. The home appliance according to claim 6, wherein said receiving section has a U-shaped cross-section which tightens said sealing member.
 8. The home appliance according to claim 6, wherein said inner side wall has an abutting wall which abuts to a part of said first connection end, when said first connection end is connected to said receiving section by means of said external sealing member.
 9. The home appliance according to claim 6, wherein said external sealing member has at least one flexible sealing flap disposed on a side of said external sealing member facing a flat side wall of said receiving section.
 10. The home appliance according to claim 9, wherein said at least one flexible sealing flap is one of a plurality of flexible sealing flaps configured on said external sealing member so as to extend longitudinally.
 11. The home appliance according to claim 10, wherein an angle formed between respective ones of said flexible sealing flaps and a side of said external sealing member where said flexible sealing flaps are configured, is at a maximum of 70°.
 12. The home appliance according to claims 11, wherein said external sealing member has two said flexible sealing flaps spaced apart from each other in such a way that one of them is not overlapping with another one, when the angle is 0°.
 13. The home appliance according to claim 9, wherein said at least one flexible sealing flap has a cross-section tapering towards a free end of said at least one flexible sealing flap.
 14. The home appliance according to claim 4, wherein said external sealing member has a longitudinal groove formed therein on an opposite side to said inner connection channel.
 15. The home appliance according to claim 1, wherein the home appliance is a cooling device.
 16. A refrigerator, comprising: a housing surrounding an internal space and having an outer side wall facing outside, an inner side wall spaced apart from said outer side wall, a thermal insulation material filling a spacing between said inner side wall and said outer side wall, a front flange connected to said inner side wall from a first side and to said outer side wall from a second side, and a connection region; and an external sealing member disposed on said connection region of said housing where said front flange connects to said inner side wall, so as to provide a barrier to said thermal insulation material. 